Her Heart's Desire NH2

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She shot him a pointed look. “Because he’s a judge, and judges look nice wherever they go. It’s part of their job.”

  “Because they don’t get dirty while they work,” their mother added and scanned Joel’s hands. “Wash your hands.”

  He glanced at his hands. “They’re not that dirty.”

  “Because you’ve been hiding in the barn loft instead of working?” Sally asked.

  With an indignant expression, he huffed. “I’ll have you know that I was working.”

  “Figuring out a way to avoid doing a job is not working.”

  “That’s enough,” their mother interrupted before Joel could make a clever retort. “Go wash your hands, young man.”

  Sighing, he left the kitchen.

  Sally let out a squeal. “I can’t believe Rick actually came!”

  Her mother laughed. “You could’ve fooled me by the way you’ve been fussing over the house all day. One would think you knew for sure he’d be coming.”

  “Oh, I know, but there was always that lingering doubt in the back of my mind, you know?”

  “Yes, I do. Well, go on and greet him. You don’t want to overwhelm the poor man by sending a bunch of your brothers his way.”

  “Isn’t that the truth!”

  Sally took off her apron and hurried down the hallway, her shoes clacking on the hardwood floor as she went. When she reached the storm door, she stopped and took a deep breath. True. Rick wasn’t here to see her as much as he was to learn enough about her family to prove to Ethel Mae he’d been out here, but even so, she hoped something wonderfully romantic might happen between them today.

  As a last minute decision, she stepped back in the entryway and examined her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back into a stylish bun, and several strands of blond hair curled nicely against her face. Her broach rested on the high-neck collar of her light blue dress which swished at her ankles. She pinched her cheeks to bring more color to them, though her time in the kitchen probably made them rosy enough as it was. But a little bit more couldn’t hurt. She took another deep breath and smiled. There. This was as good as she was going to get.

  She turned back to the front door and heard someone snicker. She looked at Joel who stood in the hallway and crossed his arms. “You’re not doing this to make Ethel Mae take an interest in Rick Jaimeson. You’re doing this because you want him for yourself.”

  She bit her tongue so she wouldn’t tell the little weasel what he could do with his observation. Right now she was in a precarious position. Her little brother just found out what she hoped he wouldn’t, and if she wasn’t careful, he’d be sure to slip in snide little comments during supper to embarrass her. Deciding to play it nice, she clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. “You know, Joel, Ma made enough cherry pies where you can get one more slice than anyone else. I’ll see to it you get it if you pretend you didn’t just see me by the mirror over there.”

  He grimaced. “You don’t play fair.”

  “I’m not interested in playing fair. I’m interested in keeping you quiet. So what do you say? Mum’s the word?”

  Looking as if he was in unbelievable pain, he squeaked out a “Alright” and, shoulders slumped, headed for the kitchen.

  She closed her eyes and prayed her tactic worked. Opening them, she put on her best smile and headed out the front door.

  Chapter Five

  During the supper, Sally’s gaze kept darting between Joel and Tom to see if Joel would send any secret messages to his older brother, but Joel seemed to be on his best behavior. Allowing herself to relax a bit, she focused on the conversation. Her father was currently telling Rick about the planting season.

  Sitting beside her, Rick asked, “You plant corn and beans then?”

  “Yes. We alternate crops on the land, though,” her father replied as she took a bite of meatloaf and checked Joel who was drinking milk. “One year, we’ll plant corn on one section of land and the next, we’ll plant beans on it.”

  Rick took a forkful of mashed potatoes and lifted it toward his mouth. “What’s the benefit to doing it that way?”

  Her father answered his question as Rick ate the food, but Sally had heard it all before and tuned it out. She wondered if this was boring Rick. She didn’t want Rick to be bored because if he was, he might not come back. Taking her eyes off of Joel, she turned her attention to Rick who was nodding and smiling. She tried to determine if he was just being polite or if he was really interested in the conversation.

  “Enough about me,” her father said. “Sally tells us you’re a judge.”

  Wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin that had been in his lap, he nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ve been working at the courthouse for two months now.”

  “How do you like it?” her mother spoke up, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation.

  Sally hid her smile. Her mother had heard enough of farm talk as well and welcomed the change in topic. As Rick answered her mother, Sally ate more food. She caught Joel snickering, but he wasn’t looking at her or Rick. Narrowing her eyes, she realized that Tom was in his direct vision. Then Tom’s gaze shifted Sally’s way, and Sally decided Joel wouldn’t be having the extra slice of pie.

  She should have known. Joel wouldn’t be able to control himself. As soon as he realized Sally was sweet on Rick, he just couldn’t resist telling Tom. Sure, he tried. But he was only nine, and apparently nine-year-olds had only a smidgen of restraint. Plus, he was a brother, and brothers were more difficult to live with than sisters. Well, except for David. David did a good job of minding his own business. Even now, he was paying attention to his meal instead of eyeing her and Rick the way Joel and Tom were. Alright. So not all brothers were bad. Why couldn’t all brothers be like him?

  “I hope you’re finding that folk out here are nice to newcomers,” her father said after Rick told them about leaving Vermont to work in Omaha.

  Rick picked up his glass of lemonade. “I am. The people here are great. They go out of their way to help others. Sally’s been one of the nicest people I’ve met so far.”

  At the mention of her name, Sally’s face flushed. Joel raised his eyebrows and snickered as he looked at Tom who gave Joel a knowing look back. Jenny, who sat across from Sally, noticed the exchange between Joel and Tom. She looked over at Sally and shot her a silent message of sympathy. So, Jenny knew that Joel and Tom were onto her and were trying their best not to come out and say anything while their parents were in the room. Sally could only pray they’d have to run off to do evening chores as soon as supper was over. The last thing she needed was for them to embarrass her while she talked to Rick in the parlor or on the porch.

  “Sally’s never had trouble making friends,” her mother said. “Why, when she was a little girl, she’d go up to strangers, say her name, and ask them who they were. She’s good at remembering names and knowing who’s who, too.”

  Sally wasn’t sure what to think of the endorsement her mother just gave her but knew her mother meant well so she gave her a smile to express her thanks.

  “I wish I could say that was my strength,” Rick began as he glanced in Sally’s direction, “but I’m afraid I’m too shy to ever do that.”

  With a shrug, Sally said, “A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet.”

  “You have a gift I don’t.” Rick got the last piece of meatloaf on his plate with his fork. “It’s an admirable trait.” Shifting his gaze from her father to her mother, he added, “I appreciate everything Sally’s done to welcome me to Omaha.”

  Tom wiggled his eyebrows at Sally. Rolling her eyes, she decided to ignore him. Finally, her mother went to get dessert and Sally offered to help her. She didn’t want to leave Rick’s side, but she was tired of all the “subtle” hints Joel and Tom kept giving her now that they knew she fancied Rick.

  While she and her mother were in the kitchen, she whispered, “What do you think of Rick?”

  The older woman chuckled. “He’s a very
nice man.”

  “And handsome, too. Don’t you think?”

  “Yes, he is attractive.”

  “And smart.”

  Amused, her mother shook her head. “You really do like him, don’t you?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed, Sally asked, “Is it that obvious? Do you think Rick knows? Joel knows. He figured it out before Rick got here, and now Tom knows because Joel kept giving him not-so-subtle looks during the meal.”

  “I don’t know if Rick knows, but yes, I’ve noticed what Joel and Tom are doing. I plan to send them out to do the evening chores so they shouldn’t bother you and Rick.”

  With a sigh of relief, Sally hugged her mother. “You understand me so well.”

  “When I was your age, I had to contend with a younger brother who acted like Tom and Joel.”

  “As much as I feel sorry for what you went through, I’m glad you did so that you understand me.”

  Giggling, her mother handed her some plates with pie on them. “Here you go.”

  Sally took the pies to the dining room, followed shortly by her mother. When she sat next to Rick, Joel motioned to his plate which didn’t have an extra slice of pie on it, so she mouthed, “You told Tom.”

  He rolled his eyes but settled for his one slice when their mother shot him a warning look.

  Satisfied, she turned to her slice and glanced at David who got the two slices since he was the only brother who hadn’t given her any grief.

  After the meal was over, her mother nodded to Joel and Tom. “You two go on and help your father with the evening chores.”

  Grunting, Joel asked, “But what about Dave?”

  “Dave can go out and ride his horse,” she replied.

  “Ride his horse?” Joel glanced at a surprised David and shook his head. “You mean, he gets to have fun?”

  “Yes. Now don’t argue with me, young man. You’ve been finding excuses to get out of working all day. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. It’ll do you good to put your nose to the grindstone.”

  “Well, I didn’t slack off today,” Tom argued.

  “You can make sure Joel does his work,” she replied.

  Tom grimaced. “What? Why are you punishing me? I have better things to do than make sure he cleans out the stalls.”

  “Would you rather be the one cleaning them?” their father spoke up.

  Shoulders slumped, he shook his head.

  “Good. That settles it.” Their mother stood up and started collecting the dishes. “Jenny, you’ll help me, and Sally, go on and show Rick the land. He’s never been on a farm and might like a tour.”

  “That would be nice,” Rick said, turning his attention to Sally.

  Avoiding eye contact with Joel and Tom, Sally got up with Rick and led him out of the dining room. What a relief it was to be away from those two! Now she didn’t have to wonder if they’d slip in some comment about how she wanted to marry Rick. Once she and Rick stepped out the front door, she cleared her throat. “What do you want to see first?”

  “I don’t know. What is the most interesting thing to see?”

  The porch swing where we can sit and watch the sunset and you can enjoy the evening with me, as you said you wanted to when we were at Ethel Mae’s. But they’d only been pretending so he could make Ethel Mae jealous, so it wouldn’t do to suggest such a thing.

  Turning her attention to the barn, Sally was about to propose they see it before her brothers could go out there. As she opened her mouth to speak, Joel burst out the front door, holding something she was sure belonged to Tom. Shooting Rick a pointed look as Joel ran behind the house, she said, “That was Joel stealing something of Tom’s.”

  At that moment, Tom rushed out the door. “You just wait, Joel! When I get my hands on you, I’m going to—” He glanced at them and chuckled. “Kids.” Then he darted down the porch steps.

  “I think I’m beginning to understand what you mean about your brothers when we were at Ethel Mae’s,” Rick said, humor in his voice.

  Relieved he had a sense of humor, she relaxed. “Yes, they do this to each other all the time. It’s like they can’t help themselves.”

  “I notice your other brother—David, is it?—doesn’t seem to join in their fun.”

  Thinking it odd he referred to Tom and Joel’s antics as “fun”, she said, “David’s always been more serious.” Which she actually preferred since he didn’t bother her. “I should add that I call him David. Everyone else calls him Dave. We had a race and I won, so I get to call him David. I like the name David more than Dave, though everyone else prefers Dave. Dave likes it better because he says it sounds better.”

  “Oh, then I should call him Dave because I didn’t win the race.”

  “Well, you could challenge him to a race and hope you’ll win. He’s only fourteen. I’m sure you’ll win.”

  He chuckled. “As tempting as that is, I gave up my racing days before I came to Omaha.”

  She smiled and motioned to the barn. “Want to see it? Besides the hen house and storage shed, I’m afraid it’s the most interesting thing we have, unless you like to look at the land around us.” Then we could sit on the porch swing because that’s where we can get the best view.

  “I’d like to see the barn.”

  For a moment, she wondered if he’d want to sit with her if she was Ethel Mae but reminded herself that, in time, he would suggest they sit and look out at the land together. Of course, then he’d slip his arms around her shoulders and draw her close. And though he’d start by looking at the land, his attention would soon go to her, and only her. He’d tell her how glad he was to be with her instead of Ethel Mae and then he’d kiss her. She sighed. She could almost feel his lips on hers.

  “Sally?”

  Blinking, she turned her attention back to Rick who was watching her.

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked.

  He pointed to the barn. “I said I’d like to see the barn first.”

  “Oh, oh yes!” Her cheeks growing warm from embarrassment, she headed down the porch steps with him. She could only pray he didn’t know what had been going through her mind. “It’s right this way.”

  With a chuckle, he said, “I kind of figured that.”

  She laughed as they strode toward the barn. “Well, it’s hard to miss a big sod building.” Mentally chastising herself for saying something so stupid, she added, “You’ve never been in a barn before, have you?”

  “No.”

  “Then you should be prepared for the smell.”

  “Smell?”

  “We clean and clean the stalls, but the horses and cows keep making some not-so-pleasant smells.”

  He nodded. “I see. So you think I should hold my breath before I go in there?”

  “That’s an option. I breathed through my mouth for an entire month after we built the place. After a while, I got used to it, and now I don’t even notice it anymore. When Ethel Mae came out here, she informed me that I should warn people about the smell.”

  As soon as she said Ethel Mae’s name, she wondered if that was a good idea, but then she figured he was out here because of Ethel Mae. Sooner or later, the conversation would have to be about her friend if she didn’t want him to catch on to what she was doing.

  “It’s a good thing I came here after she did then,” he teased.

  She grinned. “I didn’t think you joked around.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. I think it’s because you always seemed serious all the other times I’ve talked to you.”

  “That’s probably because I’m nervous around your friend.”

  “Oh, of course.” That was because he was trying to make a good impression on Ethel Mae in hopes she’d let him court her. Even though Sally should probably want him to be equally serious around her since that would mean he’d want to court her instead, she rather preferred the way he could relax and tease her. “For what it’s worth, I like your sense o
f humor.”

  “Thank you.”

  They reached the barn, and she went in before him. The sun was still bright enough to light the interior, giving them a good view of the stalls.

  He coughed. “I can see why Ethel Mae told you to warn people about the smell.”

  “Yes. Barns leave a…unique impression on newcomers. No one ever forgets what it’s like to be inside one.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” As they walked through the building, he added, “It’s actually not that bad. I wouldn’t want to spend my life working in here, but it’s not as horrible as you made it sound.”

  “Really?”

  “I thought I’d be fainting.”

  For a moment she thought he was serious and couldn’t imagine why a man might faint, but then she caught the sparkle in his eye and playfully swatted his arm. “Why, you!” She giggled. “It’s a good thing you wouldn’t really faint because I wouldn’t be able to drag you on out of here. You’re way too heavy.”

  “You’d be fine. A farm girl like you is smart. Just hitch me up to a horse and pull me out.”

  “Yes, I suppose I could do that.”

  “Exactly. It’d be no effort at all.”

  “I’d still rather not do it. My brothers might see the horse dragging you on out of here and accuse me of boring you to death,” she teased.

  “I hardly doubt you’d bore anyone to death.”

  Pleased by his compliment, she motioned to the horses. “We have four of them, one for each brother and our pa.”

  “Don’t you have four brothers?”

  “Yes, but he lives in town and doesn’t own a horse. He can ride one, but he’d rather not. Since we grew up in a crowded city, we were used to walking wherever we needed to go.”

  He nodded as she led him to the horses and picked up a sugar cube from a nearby sack to feed it. “I know how that is. I’m used to being in a big area, too. I can see the appeal of the open land, as your father talks about it, but seeing all of this makes me happier I became a judge instead of a farmer.”

  “I don’t blame you. It’s a lot of work, and the smell isn’t for everyone.”